29 March 2024
Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.
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Album No7 from the palindromic Berlin-based experimental post-rock and electronic instrumentalists
6.5
A warm, hypnotic record from a lovable band of anthropoids with giant electronic hearts Read Review
A masterful lesson in elegance and how to blend minimalism with majesty Read Review
Only one track exceeds four minutes — and pretty much everything is kept within the simple, repetitive riffing structure suggested by their palindromic name Read Review
The music of To Rococo Rot has always had an organic element; Speculation furthers that with a real sense of play and exploration Read Review
Speculation is undoubtedly idiosyncratic and technically brilliant; it’s just a shame that it’s a record that doesn’t ultimately care for your opinion of it Read Review
Rhythm is key throughout the record, with each track building layer upon layer of different sounds to move the listener in vastly different ways Read Review
Don’t be intimidated by the German electronica tag, this is immediate stuff – few tracks outstay their welcome Read Review
Print edition only
... an exposition on repetition and its lulling, hypnotic allure, Speculation is a welcome return after To Rococo Rot's two-plus years away Read Review
As a complete work this is an excellent addition to a moody discography Read Review
As blissful or intimate as To Rococo Rot have gotten throughout their 15 years together, they’ve always been a bit easy to ignore and blocking them out is even easier on this late stage artifact Read Review
This is a looser affair than anything else in the group's catalog, surely due to their escaping Berlin city life to record with Jochen Irmler of Faust in his secluded rural German studio Read Review
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To Rococo Rot: Speculation
Elbow Audio Vertigo
The band aren’t getting any younger, but they are getting wiser and, dare I say, more fun Sputnik Music (staff)
Adrianne Lenker Bright Future
This is a triumphant work from an ascendant artist, and, oh yeah, also one of the finer folk albums of recent years Sputnik Music (staff)
Jlin Akoma
The Indiana-based footwork producer and Pulitzer Prize finalist broadens her horizons on her first album in seven years Paste Magazine
The Jesus and Mary Chain Glasgow Eyes
Glasgow Eyes isn’t far off being a great record, but those drops in quality aren’t just blips, they’re chasms Beats Per Minute
Beyoncé Cowboy Carter
There’s no question that Cowboy Carter is a landmark record. Arguably, an inevitable one. But once the dust of its audacity settles, it misses the mark of a classic The Line Of Best Fit
Straying far beyond its original country concept, the musician’s eighth album straddles the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the blues – and Becky with the Good Hair via Dolly Parton’s Jolene The Guardian
The Black Crowes Happiness Bastards
The Robinson brothers’ greatest successes have been with the Black Crowes. Perhaps that’s why they agreed to reunite for this album, finally (but no doubt grudgingly) admitting that they do their best work when they’re playing together Spectrum Culture
Four Tet Three
Small soundscapes grow and expand without dominating Hebden’s aural trademarks Spectrum Culture
A deceptively quiet solo outing from the Big Thief singer carries a vibrant emotional impact Spectrum Culture
On Akoma, all bets are off. Jlin pulls inspiration from everywhere, and even though the source material couldn’t be further from each other, they all meld together under her idiosyncratic eye Spectrum Culture
The Staves All Now
Returning with only two of the three sisters, they feature a sound threatening to eat them whole Spectrum Culture
Life-affirming songs from Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor The Irish Times
The beginning of a new chapter for the reconfigured duo centres on gentle, wistful folk pop with an emphasis on harmonies musicOMH
The Staves have shown they’re happy to branch out into more indie-rock territory which sits well alongside their folk roots Clash
Tyla Tyla
TYLA will remain as the expertly crafted record that allowed amapiano a moment to shine before new audiences Beats Per Minute
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Dave We’re All Alone In This Together